PDP Convinces Obasanjo, Clears Way For Atiku
The 2019 presidential election may live up to the expected fireworks anticipated by the experts. This is as information available to 247ureports.com indicates that the likely candidacy of the former vice president, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku recently received the nob of the former president, Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo following consorted pleadings and intense consultations from top members of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] and nonpolitical leaders from across the nation, including traditional leaders.
According to available information, the chieftains of the PDP and former heads of state had sat in closed door deliberation over the 2019 presidential contest. The choice of candidate to best topple the All Progressive Congress [APC] led administration out of the Presidency – was the subject of discourse.
Following the conclusion of the deliberations and consultations, the deliberators concluded the best route to follow to remove the President in 2019 is through hoisting of Alhaji Atiku Abukakar as the candidate of the PDP. The resolution reached pointed to Atiku as the best choice to dislodge President Buhari. The group which comprised of former president Goodluck Jonathan, selected PDP Governors, 1st Class traditional rulers, and some financiers of the PDP, agreed to reach out to Olusegun Obasanjo to impress on him the need to see the need to ease on Atiku’s candidacy.
The group reached Obasanjo.
Olusegun Obasanjo was reported hesitant when briefed. Obasanjo queried whether the group had exhausted their list of options before concluding on Atiku. The former president insisted the group change their choice. Responding, the group asked Obasanjo to provide a list of his top three choices. Obasanjo listed Donald Duke as his first choice and then Atiku as his third choice. To this, the group asked him to reverse the order.
It took little convincing for Obasanjo to agree to ease on Atiku. According to a source close to one of the traditional leaders from the northwest, Obasanjo was surprisingly forthcoming with the likely candidacy of Atiku. The source indicated that Obasanjo was willing to collapse his campaign to suit that of the PDP.
On the side of the PDP, 247reports.com has it on firsthand authority that former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida along with Abdusalami, T. Y. Danjuma and Gusau had all agreed on Atiku as the most viable vehicle to unseating the President. The source also noted that the group of former generals had also asked other would-be aspirants to join the fray of aspirants. Persons such as Kabiru Tanimu who was a former minister under the Jonathan administration was asked to join the fray by Babangida. Our source pegged Tanimu’s entry into the race as a reserve [backup] should the aspirant of Atiku fails.
The source who currently serves as an aide to one of the aspirants told 247ureports.com that the PDP is in no denial of the possibilities of an Atiku candidacy. They believe however that the Buhari administrations’ clampdown on perceived opposition poses a concern to the viability of Atiku’s candidacy. “They can smuggle in a judgment into one of the courts” and jail Atiku or “disqualify him” for 2019 contest.
Atiku has since launched a more comprehensive campaign since receiving the nod from Obasanjo.
